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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

June 4, 2019

Klay Thompson

Oakland, California - Practice Day

Q. Steve said you're day to day, but just to ask you directly, do you think you'll play in Game 3?
KLAY THOMPSON: It will be a game-time decision. But for me personally, it would be hard to see me not playing. Hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow and be a go for tip-off.

Q. To follow up on that, what would the training staff have to say to you to where you wouldn't play? Is it entirely in their hands, or how strong of a case would you make to go at that point?
KLAY THOMPSON: Obviously I would do anything I can to be out there, but it's all in their hands. If there's any pain, it will be a no-go just because of the position we're in. This could be a longer series, so there's no point in trying to go out there and re-aggravate it and potentially keep myself out of the whole entire Finals instead of just one game.

So like I said, it will be a game-time decision. But I really want to be out there.

Q. How is the pain level for you now, and were you able to do anything this morning other than just some of the shooting we saw?
KLAY THOMPSON: Oh, it's much better than it was Sunday night. So hopefully the same progress will be made and I'll be moving like my normal self tomorrow. But the pain level wasn't too crazy at all.

Q. People like Boogie and Steph have never remembered seeing a box-and-one in the NBA until Sunday night. What did you think of that defense? Steph called it disrespectful and janky.
KLAY THOMPSON: I didn't mind it because we ended up winning the game. Dre [Andre Iguodala] got a great look there at the end for the dagger. I don't think it was the best strategy because we did get open looks, but we didn't score too well in those last six minutes with it. That doesn't matter because, like I said, we made the buckets when they needed to be made the most.

Q. Can you just take us through the play with the injury? The discomfort seemed to begin when you kind of did the splits there, and then you still played through it. And when did you kind of start feeling the pain where you couldn't play?
KLAY THOMPSON: I anticipated getting hit, which I probably shouldn't have done. I landed awkwardly, just kind of tweaked my hamstring. When you're moving, it's all good. But right when you stop moving around, it just really tightened up on me like a knot and I couldn't really get any full motion anymore.

So I called to come out of the game because I literally couldn't run like I'm used to. It sucked. But like I said before, the progress I made these last couple days is very encouraging. And if it continues, I look forward to playing tomorrow night.

Q. I remember last Finals that after the Game 1 actually you got a swollen ankle from that injury. What was the mindset out there to make you decide to play at Game 2? And do you have the same mindset here when you go into the Game 2?
KLAY THOMPSON: Last year I think I was in a much worse position than I am now, which is good. That's a good sign. Injuries are never fun. It's the most unfortunate part of sports, but it tests your character. And playing through pain makes it all worth it in the end, especially this time of the year.

I don't think anyone is a hundred percent healthy on both teams. But like I said before, you just have to, as clichÃ© as it is, dig deep and realize we have months to rest after this and recover. For me, it's just about doing everything I can up until tip-off tomorrow to be able to go because I hate missing games. I really do.

Q. You've guarded CP, you've guarded Dame, you've guarded tons of point guards this postseason. You're going up against Kawhi Leonard in this series for a lot of possessions. What kind of issues does he present versus a point guard guarding a guy like Kawhi?
KLAY THOMPSON: Kawhi is so big and strong you can't really muscle him. You can't really force him off his path. All you can do is try to take away his air space. He's become such a good ball handler, such a great shooter, especially in the mid-range, that you have to do anything you can to take his rhythm away.

You can tell he plays with great rhythm, especially when he has a live dribble. So as a defender, you just try to make someone with that much talent and ability a little more uncomfortable, whether it's doubling off a ball screen or switching aggressively or just picking up at half court and trying to make him work for every possession.

Lucky for us, we have so many great defenders we can throw many looks at him. But Kawhi just presents a lot of problems. And his playmaking has gotten so much better since he first got in the league. He's a complete player on that side of the ball -- or just a complete player in general. Much different challenge than what I faced these last few rounds. So I embrace it. It's fun to measure yourself against the best.

Q. As a quick follow-up, the hamstring, is it offensively just running up and down when you feel it most, or is it side-to-side limiting?
KLAY THOMPSON: I think it's just when I have to stop on a dime or make hard cuts. That's when you feel it the most. But if I can just be out there even at 80 percent, I still think I can be very effective. I'll do whatever I can to get to that full hundred. But if not, I'll still be out there and trying to do what I can to help my team win.

Q. In a situation like this, how do you gauge what's an appropriate pain to play through and what's a pain that you need to say that's too much, I need to sit out? How do you sort of determine that?
KLAY THOMPSON: That's a good question. Probably, if you only feel it on a certain couple moves, you're fine. But if you feel it every step of the way, that's not a good sign. I do not feel it with every move I make, only on certain ones.

So you can kind of play through that. But if it was something that was consistent whenever I move my leg or every sharp cut or every sprint, that would not be good. But it's only a few exact movements that I really feel it. So that's very encouraging.

Q. Coach Kerr said it's all about taking risks whether to put you on the court. So what's your thought on this risk-taking thing?
KLAY THOMPSON: Well, something's got to give. It's the NBA Finals, and we're putting our bodies on the line every game. That's just the nature of our business, injuries. And obviously we have such a great training staff that they're closing that risk of window for me by the hour.

From the progress I've made these last two days, I'm very encouraged that I'll be able to go out there tomorrow night. As long as nothing is torn or really injured, I'm not too fearful of it because, knock on wood, I've been very blessed with not very many traumatic injuries in my career. I don't think this one is of greatest concern. It's just the day and age we live in where little things can just grow to be big problems, but I don't think this will be one of them.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Klay.

KLAY THOMPSON: No problem.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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